


Star-Crossed Lovers High

by Bobo_is_tha_Bomb



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Drama, F/M, GW Mini Bang 2019, Humor, Language, Lemon, Reader Insert, Romance, Sexual Situations, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 23:14:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21707182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bobo_is_tha_Bomb/pseuds/Bobo_is_tha_Bomb
Summary: Participating in an unconventional undercover mission is not something you are looking forward to. It is, however, the least of your problems. Your partner for the mission? You ex. And his mere presence is enough to get your hackles rising. He is not happy with the situation either and with tempers and unresolved issues between you, it’s bound to make sparks fly. You’ll make him regret asking you for this mission. Or maybe… not? ZechsxReader
Relationships: Zechs Merquise/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3
Collections: Unorthodox Undercover Work Mini Bang





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m super, super excited to share this story! This is my first time participating in a bang, and it was an awesome experience. I never had to hoard a complete story before and I’m so glad I can finally post it. 
> 
> Credit where credit is due:
> 
> Many thanks to my awesome beta and sister from another mister Whowantstoknow (username on Lunaescence), who did a fantastic job of editing this story and pointing out some flaws that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. I’m so glad I could rely on you! <3
> 
> Also thanks to my cousin Marloes, for being a great help with figuring out plot details in the early stages of this story! You’re always the one I turn to for feedback and it always makes my stories better! Love ya, Chica! ;)
> 
> Now the art for this story was done by Noartificialfruitjuice and it’s AMAZING! I’m so in love with it, it’s insane! Thank you so much for creating this and capturing the scene in the exact way I had imagined it! Thank you, thank you, thank you! 
> 
> The art can be found in chapter 9!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Gundam Wing, its characters, or you.

**Star-Crossed Lovers High  
Chapter 1**

_We're like strangers_   
_Walking down the aisle_   
_Holding hands and trying to pretend ~ Star-Crossed Lovers, My Indigo_

The landscape rushed by in a green blur as you pushed on the gas and steered the company issued SUV onto the highway. Gritty rock music poured from the speakers to match your sullen mood. Soon the green fields would make way for the towering buildings of the city. It had been some time since you had been there as you preferred to avoid Brussels and one building in it in particular all together. You rarely got summoned into HQ, so when the email had dropped into your inbox, you had felt your mood drop.

However, you weren’t one to defy orders, especially not orders given by the Commander herself. So, there you were, making the drive from Leopoldsburg to Brussels, while raw voices poured out pain and misery. You were tempted to sing along but knew better. The day before you had strained your voice, yelling at your rookies as they went around the assault course in the pouring rain. You hadn’t been careful, so now you had to mind the consequences. You’d speak only when necessary. Personally, you hoped the meeting wouldn’t require much of your input.

Une’s email had been purposefully vague. There was just enough information to pique your curiosity and lure you to HQ. The email even mentioned needing your expertise. You couldn’t help but wonder in what area considering the talent already at HQ.

You grumbled to yourself as you tugged at the tie around your neck, wishing you could have ditched the uniform, but HQ required it. You very much preferred the comfy cargo pants and tank top combo you usually went for at the base. On an impulse you even applied make-up.

You reached for the traveling cup that held your coffee, which was strong enough to knock over a building, and gingerly sipped it as you hit the last of that morning’s traffic heading into the city. You resigned yourself to your fate with a sigh, slowing the car down to a crawl. You glanced at your phone, which was propped into the holder on the dashboard to check the time.

Still plenty enough time to make it to the meeting, you concluded to your satisfaction. You slipped on your sunglasses when the sun peeked through the clouds looming overhead, the flash of light brilliant enough to be temporarily blinding. Your exit came up and you steered the car off the highway, into the busy streets that made up the Brussels’ road network. You avoided the tunnels whenever you could, knowing from experience they would be horrible to navigate at this time of day. The roads were familiar, and soon you found yourself reaching for your badge as you drove into the garage underneath HQ. You took a moment to check your reflection in the mirror, reapplying your lipstick and making sure your eyeliner hadn’t smudged.

Then you took a deep breath and got out, swinging your bag onto your shoulder. You assumed a confident pace as you walked to the elevator, giving nods in greeting to the few Agents that were waiting for it to arrive.

“Morning, -Y/N-,” Gina Avarez greeted you with a white toothed grin. Her brown eyes flashed warmly from under her mop of wild black curls. “What brings you here?”

“Got summoned by the commander,” you informed her as you stepped into the elevator.

“Oh… Why?” Her curiosity matched yours. “You never come here, right?”

“Not anymore no.” Your tone sharpened and she knew, back from her rookie days, that it would be best to drop the subject.

You gave her a smile as she moved to step out of the elevator when it reached her floor. You felt a little proud that she had made it to Field and was damn good at her job. “We should have lunch later.”

She grinned. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“Good.”

The doors closed and the elevator continued up. You waited patiently at every stop and sighed when you were the only one left when it went for it’s final stop at the top floor- Une’s office, or the lion’s den as it was secretly called behind her back. Not that Une didn’t know about it as nothing skipped her notice. You took one final look at yourself in the mirror that made up one of the elevator’s walls, tugging one of the flame red locks loose from the ponytail you had pulled your hair up into. There…

You walked out of the elevator and made your way over to the desk of Une’s assistant, a young, perky woman with blond curls and blue eyes that stared at you in an owlish fashion as she gazed up. Competence seemed to be lacking, you thought as you addressed her.

“Agent -L/N-,” you told her. “I’m here to see Commander Une.”

“One moment, please.” She darted up, not so incompetent after all, and went to the open door behind her. “Commander Une? Agent -L/N- is here.”

“Aah. Send her in.”

“There is your cue,” she told you with a smile as she seated herself behind her desk again.

You gave her a nod and moved, walking into Une’s office with the view of the city and the polished mahogany furniture that was a firm reminder of her position within the agency. Une sat behind her desk, round glasses resting on the bridge of her nose and her hair braided back from her face. She looked up at your approach and you watched her eyes narrow behind the spectacles as she took in your appearance. You jutted out your chin as you came to a halt in front of her desk, silently daring her to comment on your hair or the nose ring that gleamed in the fluorescent lights overhead.

“Agent -L/N-,” she greeted you, allowing a small, rather stiff smile to form on her stern face. “Please take a seat.”

She gestured towards the long table that lined the windows on one side of her office. “I’ll be with you shortly.

You went to the table, a frown forming on your face as this summoning was obviously not for a one to one.

“Gilly?” Une called out through the open door. “Can you arrange for coffee?”

“Sure thing, Ma’am.”

Une took a seat across from you and pulled the notebooks and tablet on the table’s surface towards her. She glanced at the slim golden watch on her wrist, eyes narrowing in annoyance, only to glance up again at the footsteps that entered her office.

“You’re late,” she snapped.

“Apologies, Ma’am.”

You stiffened in your seat at the sound of _that_ voice. The hairs on the back of your neck even rose. You weren’t sure if it was anger you were feeling when you turned your head to look at him with barely restrained hostility.

“Zechs,” you bit out icily.

“-Y/N-,” he murmured, seeming not at all surprised at your appearance.

The sight of you shouldn’t have his stomach tied into knots so easily, he thought. But here he was, trying not to show how much your presence in Une’s office affected him. Six months of repressed misery came back at him. And why? He wondered. It wasn’t as if you were happy to see him. In fact, you pretty much looked like you would rather be anywhere else but here.

God damn it, did he really have to look so good? You could barely contain your need to recoil when he slipped into the seat next to you, powerful body relaxed as he leaned back in the chair, platinum hair spilling over his shoulder from the low ponytail.

But only he knew he felt anything but relaxed.

His appearance was soon followed by that of Une’s assistant, who placed a tray with a coffee pot and cups on the table, then discreetly disappeared after giving Zechs a not so discreet and flirtatious smile. Une casually poured the coffee and passed you a cup and saucer. The silence in her office got a little unnerving, but you hid your unease be sipping the coffee.

You sat with your blood thrumming, viciously struggling with the urge to bolt from the room, back to the safety of the SUV and the base. You were no coward.

“Well?” you questioned with a haughtily raised eyebrow.

“I requested your presence here as we are in need of your expertise,” Une started, unfazed, while tapping at the tablet’s screen in front of her. “It has come to our attention that a terrorist group is planning an attack on Rainbow Land festival.”

“Rainbow Land festival?” you questioned in surprise. The festival was a big event each year, with lots of fundraisers, food, music, and visits from politicians and other important figures alike. Ideal for a terrorist faction to make an impact and get a message across.

“We are planning to stop them, of course,” Une said. “But we want to go about this in an unconventional way.”

“Meaning?”

“We need you for the mission,” Zechs added, and he felt pretty much like a fool for thinking you would be perfect for it.

“And what have you got to do with it?” you barked at him.

“It’s my case.” A tiny smirk came to play over his face. He had you there and damn well knew it.

Realization dawned. Oh Hell no. You would not be working with _him_. “No, find someone else to do it.”

“Who?” Une asked coolly. “We need people that can be discreet, who won’t go beyond protocol. You will be best suited. We will provide your band with instructions.”

Your laughter was bitter. “What band?”

Zechs frowned in confusion, and it was the first show of any emotion from him. “You no longer have a band?”

“No,” you said, pleased to know that that little detail had gone unnoticed by him. He would not be happy about that lack of knowledge on his part as it meant he hadn’t done his research well. “Thanks to a **certain** someone.”

“This is not the time to bring your personal relationship into this,” Une snapped.

You had the decency to feel shame at that little slip up, but practically gloated at the sight of Zechs’ mouth turning down in a displeased sneer. It was petty and childish but felt damn nice.

“So, what do you suggest?” you asked, opting for a cool and professional tone.

Une clucked her tongue. “Our plan was to have the festival grounds rigged with agents, including the backstage area. If we don’t have a band, we cannot get them in there unnoticed.”

You leaned back in your seat. “Hmm… You wanted them undercover… As roadies?”

“Something like that,” Zechs said.

God damn it. No band. How the hell was he supposed to get Agents backstage now? His plan had been perfect, and now you had ruined it.

“Would it be difficult for you to form a band made up of Agents?” Une questioned.

You sat staring at her in bewilderment. “What?”

“It could work much better,” Zechs jumped to the idea in agreement. “We wouldn’t need to worry about instructions, and the agents would be on stage with a clear view on the festival grounds.”

You sputtered. “Form a band out of nothing? With **who**?!?”

“We’ll put out an announcement. I’m sure there are enough agents around that know how to handle an instrument,” Zechs said matter of factly.

The sudden thought that came to you, made you smile wickedly. “Sure. You can be the keyboard player.”

He paled a little at having his own suggestion thrown back at him in such a way. No way in Hell. “Out of the question.”

“Why?” you challenged. “Like you said, you’ll be on stage on the front row when they strike.”

Une hummed in agreement with you. “That’s not a bad idea.”

“No.” Zechs snapped vehemently. God damn it, he would not do it. He had taste.

“He hates my taste in music,” you told Une with a sickly-sweet smile.

For a moment she allowed a sliver of amusement to show in her brown eyes, but quickly masked it for the sake of professionalism. “You’ll be exempted from Leopoldsburg for this mission.”

That brought a frown to your face, and Zechs felt a sliver of satisfaction at your obvious disappointment. “I don’t see why that is necessary. I’ll provide the cover, sure, but do I have to join on the research?”

“Yes,” Une said. “If we’re doing it this way, I need you here. If any of the other agents joining the operation lack the experience, we need you to train them here.”

“I suppose,” you murmured, face falling as you realized you would have to commute to Brussels every day.

“It’s just for a couple of months,” Une said. “I’ll give you a week to turn your work over to the other instructors at Leopoldsburg.”

You took a deep breath, knowing you wouldn’t have much of a choice. “Alright.”

“I’ll put out the announcement on the intranet,” Zechs said, taking a pen to make notes in his own notebook. Finding the keyboard player would be his top priority.

“Good,” Une murmured. “I expect you here next week, Agent -L/N-. Dismissed.”

You rose from your seat, saluted her, then turned on your heel and nearly stomped out of her office. The fact that Zechs was hot on your heel kept you from doing the actual stomping. He would not get to see how reeled up you were. You punched the button of the elevator and stepped inside when it arrived and he followed suit. The temperature in the elevator reached arctic levels as you stood in silence.

“I’ll email you the intel I’ve gathered so far,” Zechs said to break the icy silence.

“Whatever,” you murmured.

The elevator reached his floor and he stepped out, deciding on a bit of civility. “Sorry about your band.”

Fury had you yelling after him. “Asshole! You’re not sorry about that!”

The doors closed again, and you quickly pushed the button to open them again, setting after him in boiling anger. How dare he?!

He looked up when you entered his office and slammed the door shut behind you. He thought you looked like a fiery demon, ready to strike, and felt a little amused that he still had this effect on you. The flame red hair only added to the image, he mused.

You realized that an angry outburst would only make you look stupid, so you reached for that icy calm again, planting your hands against the surface of his desk as you leaned in.

“You’ll regret asking me for this mission,” you told him.

“As a matter of fact, I’m already regretting it now.” He tapped a key on his keyboard, dismissing you easily enough as he turned his attention to the screen.

You resisted the urge to grab his tie and strangle him. “Good, that’ll serve you right.”

His icy blue gaze flitted to you for a moment, narrowed in a glare, then was back staring at the screen again. He was not going to fight with you. “I’ll see you next week.”

You seethed. “Fine, dismiss me again. It was all you were good at.”

You turned on your heel and stormed out of the office. You slammed the door even harder than you had on your way in.

In the sudden silence, Zechs sighed, leaning back in his seat to pinch the bridge of his nose to ward off the headache. This was going to be Hell.

On the way back to the base, you realized your promise to Gina. Feeling stupid for letting your anger overrule you, you called her to reschedule lunch for next week. Then turned up the volume of the radio and belted along with the music. Maybe you could ruin your voice indefinitely so you wouldn’t have to partake in this ridiculous mission, you thought snidely.

Fucking hell, you were in deep, deep shit.

**\- End chapter 1 -**


	2. Chapter 2

**Star-crossed Lovers High  
Chapter 2**

_We're like lovers_   
_But here we are again_   
_Entangled in a dance that never ends ~ Star-crossed Lovers, My Indigo_

“I’m telling you man, new hair means you’re banished.”

Zechs gave the agent standing across from him a questioning look as he sipped his coffee.

“New hair, bye ex.” Duo Maxwell grinned at him as he reached to take his mug from the coffee machine. “So how red was it?”

“Fire truck red,” Zechs supplied, a little reluctantly. He wasn’t so keen on talking about his ex and usually avoided the topic all together. “With a side cut.”

Duo whistled through his teeth. “Well… that’s dramatic.”

They walked out of the kitchenette and Duo gave him a well meaning slap on the shoulder. If Zechs had known years ago he would end up being friends with the younger man, he would have laughed out loud. Now he was just glad that Duo was making light of the situation.

“I’ll be needing your help with the mission,” Zechs said as he opened the door to his office. “Apparently she no longer has a band.”

“Oh.” Duo’s face turned serious. “That’s a real shame. She is a good singer.”

“She blames me.”

“Well…” Duo awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, below the trade mark braid he still sported at twenty six. “You want me to play?”

“Saves me the time to search for someone else.”

“Alright…”

Zechs raised an eyebrow at his friend’s reluctant tone. “Why are you hesitating? You’re good.”

“I know, man. But I just play for the fun of it.” Duo shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I won’t do it.”

“Good. Any other people we might want to ask?”

“Wufei drums.”

“Good. Get him on board.”

Zechs booted up his computer and opened the intranet. “Now I just need to find some extra agents and the problem will be solved.”

Or so he wished.

Une’s insistence at having you work at HQ had him reeled up. More than he was willing to admit. He knew it would be difficult to get you to cooperate, but he hadn’t realized how deep your hostility towards him ran. He would have to find a way to work around it, or you would drive him insane.

He reaching for his phone, hesitating for only a brief moment, before typing a short text message and sending it. _We need to talk._

It took some time for a reply to arrive, and he sighed when he had to tear his attention away from the email he had been reading. _Why?_

He nearly, _nearly_ , rolled his eyes, because he could practically imagine the malice in your eyes when you had sent the message. _You know why._

_Fine. My place. 5. Don’t be late._

_Ok._ Nothing more. The curt reply would rile you up, giving you something to steam about for the rest of the day. He smirked to himself as he went back to work.

-x-x-x-

At the end of the day, Zechs drove to Louvain, feeling relatively accomplished with his work of the day. His announcement on the intranet had garnered quite a few responses. The list of Agents that wanted to join the mission was in his work bag. He’d shove it under your nose for you to steam about if the conversation took a turn for the worse.

He parked his car in front of the condo where you lived and made a grab for his bag as he exited the car. The house hadn’t changed, he noticed. Your motorcycle was still in front of the door, the same plants graced the front garden with their cheery presence. He rang the doorbell and waited patiently for the door to open. When it did, he had to ignore the way his stomach twisted at the sight of you.

Your hair was loose, the bright red locks catching the light as they streamed past your shoulders to nip at the middle of your back. Your face was devoid of any make up. He studied you in silence, noticing the shapeless oversized black sweater that covered your body and ended halfway down your thighs. Thick socks covered your feet, giving a careless appearance.

You propped your arm against the doorpost and clucked your tongue. “Well?”

“Can I come in?”

You’d rather have him be on his way but knew you didn’t have much of a choice. You stepped back to let him in and closed the door behind him. As he moved passed you, you caught a whiff of his scent. All male, sexy, fresh… You clenched your jaw and reached for the hostility as it was much easier to hate him.

“What do you want?” you snapped at him as you followed him into the living room.

He made his way into the kitchen and took the liberty of making himself coffee. You fumed and slapped his hands away from the coffee machine.

“I’m planning to have you out of the door in a minute,” you told him snidely.

“Pity,” he murmured, amused at your petty behavior. “Your machine makes excellent coffee.”

You crossed your arms in front of your chest. “I’m waiting.”

He reached into his bag and pulled out the list, holding it up for you to see. “The agents that replied to my intranet message.”

You frowned, temporarily distracted from your anger as you took the list from him. “That’s quite a lot of people.”

“I was thinking we’d hold auditions on your first day in the office,” he said. “You’ll be in charge of selecting your bandmates.”

You raised an eyebrow. “You’re not wheedling out, Merquise.”

“I never agreed to join,” he said firmly. Damn it, he was not going to do it.

The glint in your eyes was deadly. “You join or you don’t have a mission.”

A little payback was what you deserved, didn’t you? you thought snidely. The asshole had cost you your band, so he would make up for it. This way and no other.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not joining you on stage, -Y/N-.”

“Why? Are you a chicken?” you taunted.

He glared at you. Damn it. He had no business showing of his skill on stage. He had only played the piano in front of a handful of people in his life and he had no intention of broadening his audience. Music was private business to him. And the fact that you knew that and exploited it irked him.

His glare was pure ice. “You just do your thing, and I’ll do mine. I’ll be backstage during your performance.”

“The hell you are, you cost me my band.”

“So that’s what this is all about then,” he said snidely. “How mature of you.”

Your eyes blazed. “Fuck you. Get the hell out of my house.”

“Are you going to behave like this for the duration of our partnership?” he questioned.

“I’ll behave as I damn well please!” You responded irritated. “Did you really think I would go easy on you?”

He tried not to give in to the anger in his gut. God damn it. He would not lower himself to your level. Cursing himself for thinking that asking his ex for this mission was a good idea, he strode passed you. He was going home.

“I’ll see you next week,” he said as he strode out of the kitchen. “You better get your temper in check before you set foot in the office.”

You stood fuming as you heard the front door slam shut and breathed deeply to get your anger under control. When you were finally able to relax your shoulders, you realized you were still holding the document that he had given you. With a sigh, you padded into the living room and sat down on the couch, reading over the list of names. Auditions seemed like a good idea, you had to agree. There were quite a few agents that had applied for a position in this so-called band.

You frowned as a sudden thought came to you. How in the hell were you supposed to make this believable? Did Zechs think that slapping a new band name to a line up would go unnoticed? This would need more than just forming a band and doing a gig at a festival. You’d have to put some work into this. You went to grab a notebook and started jotting down things that needed to be done.

You’d have to do a photoshoot, design a website, get some coverage in the press and on social media… Enough people knew your name to make it work, you thought. Then there was the need to do some gigs before the festival, get your musicians warmed for the big crowd. You’d have to select the best from the list that Zechs had given you.

_“Are you going to behave like this for the duration of our partnership?”_

You paused for only a moment as his words came back at you, then shook your head. You were working on the mission, weren’t you? He should be happy you were doing this. If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have an angle for the mission, so he would have to put up with you and what he called childish behavior.

He would regret thinking of you in the first place.

-x-x-x-

You took a deep breath as you approached the building on the other side of the street. Your band had been formed, Zechs was still going to be the keyboard player whether he wanted it or not, and you had survived the first day in the office. During the meeting that took place before the auditions, you had presented Zechs with the list of things that needed to be done. The fucker looked impressed with the thought you had put into this and that had given you a brief bout of satisfaction.

But now, you had to cross off the first thing on your list.

You threw open the door and were relieved to hear no music. That meant the rehearsal was already done. You walked inside, padded through the hallway into the studio. The pang in your stomach was painful enough to make you want to turn around and bolt from the room.

You old bandmates were lounging about on the sofas, drinks in hand, and in their midst was a pretty little blonde. So that is what they replaced you with, you thought bitterly.

The silence that fell over the room as they noticed you was thick and hostile. And it was no wonder.

“The fuck are you doing here?” Josh sneered.

“I’m not here to demand my position back,” you snapped back, watched how Guido opened his mouth to hurl an insult your way. “So shut it.”

The pretty little blonde looked a little intimidated by your presence. Good, you thought. Let her be just that. You crossed your arms in front of your chest and cocked your hip, opting for a relaxed stance that wouldn’t betray the churning feelings in your stomach.

“I’m gonna form a band for a Preventer mission,” you announced. “We’ll play at Rainbow Land festival. If anyone from the press contacts you about this, I want you all to keep quiet about our history.”

“Why would we?” Josh demanded.

“Because Zechs will be in the band and lives are at stake.”

The bitter laughter that escaped Kevin sounded like a slap over the stunned silence. “Right.”

“I’m not to keen about having my ex on board either,” you snapped. “But I respect you guys enough to inform you beforehand.”

“Ex?” Kevin questioned, his green eyes narrowing in confusion.

“Yes. My ex. Or did you think I was going for happy ever after with him after his little stunt?” you asked.

Josh looked uncomfortable. “We didn’t know.”

“Of course, you didn’t. What the hell did you think? I’d come crawling back to you guys?” You smirked and then turned your attention to the little blonde. “You can have them.”

You swiftly turned around on your heel and stormed out of the room.

You were halfway to your car when you hear Guido calling after you. “-Y/N-! Wait.”

You stopped, rolled you eyes skyward and turned around. “Now what?”

“You really dumped Zechs?” he asked, while pushing his shaggy blond hair back. His blue eyes regarded you curiously, none of the former hostility remaining.

“Yes,” you said. “Why do you want to know?”

He shrugged. “I’m curious as to why? You guys seemed pretty serious.”

“You really think I was gonna overlook what he did?” you questioned with a raised eyebrow. “The fucker cost me the band.”

A little frown line appeared between his eyebrows. “Yeah… guess you’re right about that.”

“We done?” you asked. “I want to go home.”

“One more thing,” he said. “How serious is this mission?”

“Serious enough,” you said vaguely.

“You can’t just go and slap a new band name onto the line up,” Guido said.

You gave him a syrupy sweet smile. “I’m working on that.”

He gave you a crooked little smile in return and shrugged. “I could get you a few gigs if you want.”

“Why would you help me?” It wasn’t exactly curiosity that made you ask that. It was more distrust.

“Do I need a specific reason?”

“Five minutes ago, you hated me,” you reminded him bitterly. “So yes.”

“Alright. Fine,” he said curtly. “I felt a little shitty to know that your relationship ended.”

You huffed and turned around on your heel. “I don’t need your pity. Or your help.”

But once you started the car, you were unable to drive off just yet. You sat in your seat, your head tilted back against the headrest, eyes closed to keep the tears away. When your hands stopped shaking, when you felt like you had your breathing under control, you steered the car onto the road. For once you were glad that you had taken the car that Preventer had offered you. If you had been driving your motorcycle, you would have raced off like a maniac to get rid of your frustration.

The car was much safer at the moment.

One down, you thought. And mentally checked off informing your old band on your checklist. Next was finding a rehearsal space. You had given the selected agents music to study, so hopefully the rehearsal that was scheduled next week would be a success.

Zechs had been very careful not to show his face at the auditions. But you would get back at him once you got home. A gleeful smile appeared on your face as you thought about the concept email that was waiting to be sent. You knew he would be extra pissed, as you had put Commander Une on CC. The fucker couldn’t keep on outrunning you. You had to outsmart him.

So smarter you would be.

**\- End chapter 2 -**


	3. Chapter 3

**Star-crossed Lovers Hig  
Chapter 3**  
  
_This is karma, this is where our worlds collide  
So for better, for worse ~ Star-crossed Lovers, My Indigo_

Zechs was seething by the time he made it into the office the next day. Earlier that morning, as he had been scrolling through his email during breakfast, he had found an email from you. The email contained details about the chosen musicians for the mission and your plans to find a rehearsal space. He had been listed as one of your musicians, and as if that wasn’t enough, he found that you had sent the email to Une as well. He was fucked, because he knew it was getting harder and harder to wheedle out of this. The proverbial net was closing over his head. 

He found you in the gym, punching away at a punching bag with well aimed precision. The sight of your flushed cheeks and hair sticking to your face made him stop dead in his tracks as his gut clenched with memories. He should not remember you like that at a time like this. He narrowed his eyes, and, tempering the surge of lust and pushing the images to the back of his mind, continued on his way. He grabbed your arm and yanked you towards him.

“What the…”

He saw your fist coming for his face and quickly brought his free hand up to grab it. “Don’t you dare think about it!” 

The cunning smile that spread on your face sent his rage boiling. “Good morning Zechs, did you receive my email?” 

You purposefully kept your voice cheerful, just to irk him more. The swift rush of triumph was killed however, when he tightened his grip on your arm and started dragging you out of the gym. You protested when his fingers dug into your skin.

“You’re hurting me!”

He abruptly let you go and pinned you with a frosty glare. “You’re emailing Une right away about the mistake you made.” 

“What the hell? I will not!” you protested vehemently, trying to ignore how sexy his voice sounded when rough with anger. 

“I’m not doing this, -Y/N-. Why can’t you get that through your thick skull?” 

“Because you owe me this!” you snapped. You thought back to the painful and awkward facing of your former band mates the day before, and you were unable to keep the hurt from reflecting in your eyes when you looked at him. “Maybe I wanted you to join because I think you’re good. You’ve been classically trained and that is what my music needs.” 

Zechs could only stare at you in silence. 

“I went and informed my former bandmates yesterday,” you said, while moving around him so he wouldn’t be able to see your expression. 

“And?” 

“That’s it.” Your tone hardened. 

“It’s not,” he murmured. Because he had noticed the hurt and how could he not? He had been with you for two years, so he knew you. 

You gave him a look over your shoulder, one full of loathing. “I’ve been replaced by a pretty little blonde.” 

He made a grab for your arm once more, but this time… what was he doing anyway? You blamed him for the whole situation, and he had done nothing wrong. It had been your own choice to believe the foolish story that had been fed to you. 

His gaze hardened and his voice did too as he spoke. “Do you think I would still be working here if I had truly done what you believe I did?” 

He watched your shoulders stiffen and when you turned towards him your glare was murderous. “You said or did nothing to contradict it.” 

“No,” he agreed. “Because I didn’t take you for a fool.” 

He moved passed you, storming down the hallway, and leaving you staring after him in shock.

It took you some time to regain your bearings, and when you did, you could only go and sink down on one of the benches in the women’s changing room. You mulled over Zechs’ words for some time but couldn’t seem to figure out what to make of it. You leaned your head back against the wall, taking a deep breath before getting up and making your way to the showers. 

-x-x-x-

Duo Maxwell was pretty damn good on a guitar. You found yourself admiring his skill as he effortlessly played a guitar solo, fingers easily manipulating the strings of his instrument. Around you the selected agents for the mission listened intently. 

All except for one. Zechs hadn’t shown up for the rehearsal. After the argument in the gym you had done your best to avoid him and focused on finding a rehearsal space. Une had offered you an empty meeting room on the fifth floor, and for the better part of a few days you had been busy organizing it so the agents could bring their instruments in. 

Everyone had been hard at work studying the music you had given them. Six months, a shitty break up and a falling out with your band had given you plenty of inspiration to write, so you had enough new material ready to fill a setlist. Even Wufei Chang, known to be extremely critical, had seemed impressed as he had looked over the sheet music. 

Duo stopped playing and shot you a challenging grin. “So… what do you think?” 

“Sounds good,” you said as you comfortably leaned back in your seat. “I think you might even give my former guitarist a run for his money.” 

And that was absolutely true. Duo Maxwell was a natural talent and was too damn modest to recognize it himself. 

You rose from your seat and addressed the agents around you. “Good work, everyone. Next rehearsal is scheduled for Tuesday next week. I’ll be looking into getting us some gigs as a practice round.” 

Wufei nodded. “Good idea.”

“I could look into getting us a van to transport the instruments,” Dylan Hunter said. He was the youngest of the agents recruited, having just turned twenty, but he was magic on a bass guitar. He looked very mature for his age, with his half long hair tied back in a bun and dark red beard.

“You do that,” you said with an approving nod. “There are some other details I have to take care of, but I’ll put that in an email. I have to go and see how Agent Yuy is doing on our website.” 

Duo grinned. “We’ll be pro before we know it.” 

You chuckled and walked off with a wave. No way you were keeping this band together after the mission. Although you might try and recruit Duo as a guitarist if you ever were to form a new band. He was pretty damn good after all. 

You made your way to Heero Yuy’s office and knocked on the open door. He glanced up from his screen as you stepped inside.

“Came to look at the site?” he questioned.

You grinned at him and plopped down in the chair in front of his desk. “Of course.” 

“Hn.” An amused little smirk came to play over his lips and he turned his computer screen so you could see it. He pulled up the website he had been building. “There you go.” 

“Wow.” Certainly impressed, you leaned forward to study the website design, slapping Heero’s hand away from the mouse so you could browse through it. “This looks pretty damn awesome.” 

Heero gave a shrug and leaned back into his seat. “I’ll just need to add the pictures and then it can go live.” 

“I’ve contacted a few photographers to see if I can book a shoot. I’ll get you an estimate.” 

You clicked through to the page containing info on the band members. Each member’s bio was already included, even the one you had written up for Zechs. Your eyes narrowed. You were still pissed off at him for skipping the rehearsal. 

“When I get some gigs, I’ll let you know. You can add the dates to the page then.” 

Heero nodded. “Sure.” 

“Good. I’ll be going then. Thanks, Heero.” 

He mumbled something in reply as you left his office. You went to the office you had been assigned for the mission to grab you bag and locked up, knowing it was time to confront Zechs. Not something you were looking forward to. You made your way down to the parking garage and found your motorcycle. 

Just a quick stop by his place and then you could go home. You fired the engine up and were on your way in seconds. 

Zechs lived in a fancy penthouse apartment in the suburbs, surrounded by trees and greenery in every direction. It was built at the edge of a park, and you had always enjoyed the quietness of the area. You had even imagined yourself living there. Just mere weeks before your breakup, you had been looking into selling your house so you could move in with Zechs. You had been willing to commute to Leopoldsburg every day. 

You glanced up at the building with a heavy heart as you pulled off your helmet. You didn’t like the idea of going up there to confront him. You wanted to go home and curl up on the couch with a book. But you were no coward, you reminded yourself as you swung your leg over the motorcycle. If you didn’t get Zechs on board now, the whole mission would blow up in your face. He wouldn’t want that, right? 

You darted into the building after an elderly lady and her dog, the little mutt yapping after you as you set course for the elevator. As you stepped inside, you took a deep breath. Your gut was already churning. Not a good sign, you thought bitterly. You wished the effect Zechs still had on you would disappear, but it seemed you were out of luck. 

The elevator arrived on the top floor and you took your time making it to Zechs’ front door. The view from the little walkway was spectacular and charming under the late afternoon sun. You drew to a halt in front of the door, taking another deep breath, and raised your hand to ring the bell.

And then you heard the music. You froze as it came pouring out through the open kitchen window, haunting and strikingly familiar. You moved closer to the window and tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in your throat. It was terribly sad and gripped you by the throat.

But wasn’t that just as you had intended it when you had written it?

The music flowed easily, and that only proved Zechs’ skill. You could easily picture him, as it was a vision you had seen countless times before, sitting at the grand piano under the skylight with the sun catching on his hair. You had often sat watching and admiring him from your position on the couch. He played the piano with the same kind of skill and finesse he had used to pilot a mobile suit years before. 

You felt unhinged at the way he turned your music into so much _more_. From the start of the mission, this was what you had expected. Just not in this intensity. 

You stumbled over to the walkways’ bannister and gripped it tightly, breathing in deeply as the music continued to pour over you. You stared ahead with non-seeing eyes, lost in your own mind and heart. How the hell where you supposed to sing this song if he played it like this and put your emotions in overdrive? Pain and heartache clawed at your throat, their claws as sharp as blades. The pain felt as fresh as on the day when you had written that song, just mere days after your breakup with him. 

Surprisingly, none of the anger was there. It was just the pain of losing of him. Guido had been right. You and Zechs had been pretty serious. 

But he had gone and screwed everything up behind your back. You had lost your record deal, your band, and boyfriend in one day. Because he had gone and tried to blackmail the record company representative. 

_“Do you think I would still be working here if I had truly done what you believe I did?”_

You weren’t sure anymore. When you had confronted him, Zechs hadn’t said anything to contradict you. You had been steaming mad, gathering your belongings from his apartment and leaving without looking back. That had been the end of it. You hadn’t allowed yourself to cry or grieve over your loss. You had poured it into songs and thought it had done the job. You were over it, over him. But that stupid reasoning now came to bite you in the butt.

You were so lost in your heart you didn’t hear him end the song. You only noticed it when the door behind you opened and his voice came drifting out. “-Y/N-? What are you doing here?” 

Zechs felt a little weary as he gazed at you. He hadn’t expected to find you on his doorstep, your back turned towards his apartment, your shoulders hunched as if a great weight pressed down on them. You had looked lost, so he had set out to investigate.

His gut clenched when you turned around to look at him with your heart in your eyes. He had expected you to look at him with the hostility you nowadays directed at him, but instead he was confronted with pain and loneliness. He almost wanted to reach for you. Almost. The fact that you had been a fool to believe some guy with a grudge over him still stung and reminded him he had no business in being nice to you. 

“I knew you would make my music magic,” you said softly, catching him completely off guard. “I just hadn’t expected it to be like _this_. But I can’t help but wonder if you would have played it if I had sent you the lyrics as well.” 

“Well, you don’t leave me much choice,” he muttered. 

“I came here to scold you for skipping the rehearsal, but now I’m not so sure if I want to anymore.” A small, bitter smile came to play over your face. “Fancy that.”

He stood gazing at you in silence and that unnerved you. You didn’t know what to make of his expression. This was the closest you had been to civility since the start of the mission, but at the moment you preferred to argue. Then, you at least knew what to say. The way he was looking at you rendered you speechless and uncomfortable. And for the first time you felt like crying. 

“I’ll be going,” you managed to get out as you turned away from him, your voice sounding strangled with repressed emotions. 

“Wait.” 

It wasn’t a request, more like a command, and you didn’t miss the hard edge to his voice. Damn it all to hell. He knew how to freeze you on the spot. Frigging ex-Lieutenant. 

“I think it’s time we talked.” 

“I’d rather not,” you said, while turning around to look at him once more.

“Coward.” 

You sucked in breath through your teeth. The insult stung more than it should and rattled your emotions even more. 

Zechs saw you blink rapidly and swore under his breath when he recognized the expression on your face. And immediately felt like an asshole. He made a grab for your wrist and pulled you into the apartment, pushing the door shut behind you.

“I’m sorry,” he said morosely. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.” 

You pressed a hand over your eyes, forcing the tears back because you didn’t want to appear so weak in front of him. You were a big girl and could take a few blows, damn it. He shouldn’t be able to bare your soul with music, leave you stripped of all defenses, and then carelessly step onto sore wounds.

“Just let me go home,” you told him flatly, in no mood to even feel angry. “And show up for the next damn rehearsal.”

He sighed. “Fine.”

You were out of the door in seconds. 

Zechs shook his head and turned around to head back into the living room. This confrontation had been confusing to say the least. He had tried to taunt you into arguing with him, but instead of rising to the occasion, you had nearly cried. It made him realize that you weren’t just angry. There was a great deal of hurt as well. So much in fact, that the sight of it had made him blindly agree to come to the next rehearsal.

He glared at the piano in the center of his living room. He was fucked.

**\- End chapter 3 -**


	4. Chapter 4

**Star-crossed Lovers High  
Chapter 4**

_Let's bite that magic bullet  
And leave it all behind  
I need to feel the mercy  
Of a star-crossed lovers high ~ Star-crossed Lovers, My Indigo_

The music drew fellow agents to the rehearsal room. They made themselves comfortable on the floor to watch and listen with awe and curiosity on their faces. At first Zechs hadn’t liked the thought of playing in front of an audience. It had made him feel uncomfortable. Music was his haven, his way of driving out the demons from his past, and he didn’t want anyone to intrude upon that. 

However, you had encouraged the agents to come in, saying it would make good practice to play with an audience. He couldn’t really fault his colleagues for their curiosity. This wasn’t a normal mission, so it was bound to catch attention within the organization. 

And he didn’t really mind that much…not anymore. The songs you had written were better than the crap you had played with your former band. He suspected you hadn’t had much to do with the songwriting, and if you had, it had been influenced by your former band members. The songs he had been forced to study were… different. They were complex, the instruments carefully layered, and constructed to show your vocal range in the best way.

And as your last note of the day rang out, he had to admit he was impressed. Reluctantly. He still didn’t know how to feel about all of this or the position you had forced him into. But ever since that afternoon where he had found you on his doorstep, he found himself unable to be angry about it any longer. 

You grinned at Duo when you locked up the rehearsal room. “This is starting to look promising.”

He beamed back at you and nodded. “Sure is.”

You followed him into the meeting room across the hall, where the rest of your ‘band mates’ were already waiting. Commander Une sat at the head of the table, her tablet in front of her. 

As soon as you shut the door behind you, she spoke up. “How are the preparations going?” 

“I have selected a team of agents that will join us backstage,” Zechs said. “I have contacted the festival’s organization and they will cooperate with us.” 

“Good,” Une said. “I want every able agent available to be on the festival’s grounds. If we get any inkling that the attack might be happening, the festival will be shut down.”

Zechs nodded. “I have arranged for the security at the entrance to the festival grounds as well.” 

Une turned towards you. “And how are your preparations coming along agent -L/N-?”

You smiled. “As planned, Ma’am. I’ve booked a photographer for next week. Also, I’ve contacted some people to see if we can book a few gigs before the festival.” 

“Good.” 

“For the photoshoot we have to discuss the styling,” you said. “I want everyone dressed in black, and the photographer asked for pictures of our outfits, so she could figure out what to do with the decor.” 

“Black’s no problem for me,” Duo said with a grin, while folding his hands behind his head. “I’ll get you some pics.” 

“Me too,” Dylan said.

Wufei only gave you a curt nod.

You turned your gaze towards Zechs with a knowing smile. “What about you?”

Zechs cleared his throat. “I’ll figure something out.”

His eyes narrowed into a glare when he noticed the amusement in your eyes. And then you had the nerve to share a telling look with Duo.

“We’ll go shopping,” you announced, and tried not to sound too gleeful at the prospect.

Zechs blanched. “No.” 

“Yes. You’re not wheedling out, Merquise,” you said. “You’ll need to look the part.” 

“I’ll look the part,” he all but growled. 

“In _what_?” you questioned.

The dread he felt had everything to do with the fact that even the commander looked skeptical. 

“I’ve got some time after work,” Duo said. “I’ll join you.” 

As if that would make anything better! He opened his mouth to protest, but you beat him to it.

“Don’t be a spoilsport,” you said. “We need this mission to work, right?” 

He couldn’t argue with that logic, so he grumbled in agreement under his breath.

You smiled in victory and leaned back in your seat, satisfied. He wouldn’t be able to chicken out of this one. Duo was also backing you up, heh. 

The meeting continued with Zechs’ diving into a detailed explanation of how he planned to bring the agents backstage. It involved putting secret compartments into the cases that would hold the instruments. You listened with only half an ear as you knew you would receive countless briefings on the mission before the festival. Instead, you tried to figure out where you would take Zechs for clothing. There was a little store in the old center that sold alternative fashion. They used to have some nice items, you recalled. 

You knew you could only push Zechs so far, so you would have to compromise. If you were lucky, the store would have some things that would suit his style, but still make him look more…more…more what, exactly? 

The thought of him in leather pants was foreign and incredibly hot at the same time. And you really shouldn’t be thinking about him like that. He had fucked you over, and as soon as this mission was over you would return to Leopoldsburg. Far away from him.

_”I didn’t take you for a fool.”_

You still wondered what he had meant by that. 

The meeting ended, and you quickly got up. “Let’s go then.” 

Zechs was utterly unhappy about his predicament, but still led the way to his car. Duo was grinning as he trailed after you. 

“He’s gonna kill you,” he whispered in a conspiring tone.

You grinned. “You think?” 

Duo could barely contain his mirth. “Where exactly are we going?” 

“Oh…” you drawled. “Just this little store.” 

“This is gonna be fun.”

It definitely was going to be hell, Zechs thought darkly. He wasn’t sure if he was happy about Duo joining in. Duo was his friend, but right now he looked like he was having a little too much fun. He glared at you as you scrambled into the passenger’s seat. Your smile was badly improvised innocence.

“Don’t look so angry, Zechs,” you said. 

Angry wasn’t even an attempt at describing how he felt. Reeled up, was more like it, because he sure as hell knew you would try to get under his skin. 

“Where to?” he growled.

“Grand Place,” you told him, while comfortably leaning back in your seat. “And relax…you know me.”

“That’s what concerns me.” 

You couldn’t help but chuckle at his dry tone. “Oh, come on. What happened to your sense of fun?”

He didn’t answer and instead turned the key in the ignition and started on the short drive to the center.

“So… how do you write your songs, -Y/N-?” Duo asked in an attempt to get a conversation going.

“Depends on the mood and inspiration,” you said easily. “Sometimes I already have the idea for the melody in my head, and sometimes it just comes along when I’m sitting behind my keyboard.” 

“It’s different from what your previous band did.”

Zechs noticed how you pressed your lips together in a thin line. 

“Yeah…” you murmured. “I guess it is.”

“I mean…” Duo continued, oblivious to your discomfort. “I saw some of your live videos, but what we’re playing now is so much more complex.” 

That definitely drew your attention. “You think?” 

“Yeah…” Duo grinned. “I think your style is much cooler.” 

You bit down on your bottom lip to contain your smile. It was nice to hear Duo complimenting your music. You missed your band, the weekly rehearsals, the playful banter with bandmates. But Duo was right. The songs you had written on your own were way better than anything your former bandmates could come up with. 

“Your classical schooling is apparent in the way your current songs are constructed,” Zechs said quietly causing you to whip your head around in his direction. 

You could barely contain your surprise at his comment. “What do you mean by that?” 

“You never wrote music for the band, did you?” he asked.

You crossed your arms in front of your chest. “No,” you admitted reluctantly. “I didn’t.”

“Why not?” Duo asked.

You shrugged. “It was just the way things were. The guys wrote the music, and I was responsible for the lyrics.” 

“Well…” Duo muttered. “That’s a shame.”

Zechs turned his car into the parking garage. You fell silent as he searched for a spot. As soon as he turned off the engine, you were scrambling out of the car. 

The shop was not far from the parking garage, and you noticed Zechs’ expression as he eyed the storefront. You grinned at him. “Not suddenly backpedaling, are you?” 

He scoffed. “As if.” 

You chuckled and stepped inside, setting a course for the men’s section. You started browsing, uncaring about Zechs’ presence behind you. 

He protested when you dove towards a rack containing leather pants. “Hell no!” 

You laughed. “Why not? They’d look good on you.”

His glare was pure malice. “I’m not wearing **that**.” 

Duo just hung back, amusement all too clear on his face as he watched the scene unfold. This was exactly the reason why he had decided to join you. 

You pulled a pair of black, ripped biker jeans from another rack. “These are nice.” You turned them around to check the label and grinned. “Jackpot. They’re your size.” 

You threw the jeans at him and continued on. 

“I’ll select my own damn shirt,” Zechs commented as you started browsing another rack. 

You bit your lip as you pulled a long, black T-shirt from the rack. The cut would probably look very flattering on him. “I like this one. Could you at least try it with the jeans?” 

You noticed that he was practically fuming at the idea of you dressing him, and gave him a sweet smile, holding out the shirt to him.

He snatched it up and stomped off to the fitting rooms. 

Duo chuckled as he came to stand next to you. “Did your previous shopping trips go like this too?”

His question sobered you up quickly, and the smile left your face. You remembered similar but playful banter, the utter amusement you had always felt because Zechs hated shopping with a passion. 

“I guess…” you murmured with a sigh, not really noticing how forlorn you sounded. 

You walked towards the fitting rooms and discovered that Zechs had already disappeared into one. You sat down on the bench lining the wall and waited for him to come out again. When he did, your heart stopped right in your chest. Jesus…the asshole looked damn good. You felt desire plummet deep into your belly and were acutely reminded of the fact that it had been months since he had last touched you. 

The jeans were tight, emphasizing powerful tights, and as he stepped out you had to swallow thickly when you saw muscles flex underneath the fabric. The shirt was perfect, just the tiniest bit loose but it still left little to the imagination as it stretched over his broad chest. You forgot to breathe when his hand came up to push his hair back, his bicep bulging with the movement. 

“Looks good,” you managed to say in a breathless tone. 

A smug, little smirk formed on his face when he noticed the look in your eyes. Desire was easily recognized. No matter how much you claimed to hate him, there still was a part of you that wasn’t immune to his presence. Filing that information away for later contemplation, he stepped back into the fitting room and pulled the curtain shut.

You narrowed your eyes into a glare. He had noticed. Fuck, of course he had. Zechs was a perceptive man and it had been hard to hide anything from him. Now he would have something to use against you. 

You didn’t pay attention to the two girls that entered the fitting area, the blonde taking the fitting room in the corner. 

“No but seriously,” the girl said after she had pulled the curtain closed. “It sucks that we have to start over. The company representative the guys had contact with no longer works there.” 

“Really?” Her friend made herself comfortable on the bench next to you.

“Yeah… apparently he has been fired. The guys are all reeled up because it involves their previous singer.” The girl sighed loudly. “Guido was going on and on about how guilty he felt.” 

Hearing that name certainly piqued your interest. Wait, was that girl the new singer of your old band?!?

“How come?” the girl’s friend asked with a laugh.

“They fired her because the company representative claimed her boyfriend tried to blackmail him.” Her voice was a little muffled. She was probably in the middle of pulling on the dress she had taken with her into the fitting room. “Turns out it was the other way around.”

You jolted up in shock. _What?!?_

Zechs yanked open the curtain and stepped out, a pissed off look on his face. You could only stare at him as the blonde’s words sank in and then anger flared. You practically saw red when you realized that you had lost everything for nothing. You whirled around and stormed to the store’s exit, Zechs hot on your heels. Zechs tossed the clothes you had chosen in Duo’s direction as he passed him. Duo gave him a questioning look, but Zechs ignored him. His focus was on you. 

Outside you whirled around and forcefully slammed your hands against his chest. “You, asshole!” 

His eyes narrowed into an angry glare. “Excuse me?”

Your nostrils flared and your eyes blazed. 

“Don’t you fucking dare to try and downplay this!” you raged. “God damn you, Zechs!”

“You made your choice,” he said, trying to stay calm because he sure as hell wasn’t going to cause a scene on the street. “You can’t blame me because it was the wrong one.” 

“You could have said something!” 

“Why?” he questioned icily. “You wouldn’t have listened to me anyway.” 

You threw your hands up and turned your back on him. “So, then you made your choice too.” 

He didn’t say anything for a while and that unnerved you. When you turned around again, he stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest. 

The rage was gone when you spoke again. Instead your voice sounded flat. “Maybe I was wrong, but so were you.” 

When he didn’t comment you walked away, very intent on making your own way back to HQ. If he was going to be a stubborn asshole, you weren’t going to stay. 

Zechs watched you go, mulling over your words in his head. He heard Duo clear his throat behind him. 

“What was that about?” 

“She learned the truth.” 

“And?” Duo questioned. 

“She left.” 

He heard Duo sigh. “Give her some time.”

Zechs gave a humorless snort. Time…hadn’t he given you plenty of that already? And still you had the nerve to tell him he had been wrong? 

“Come on,” Duo said, while slapping his shoulder. “Let’s go get a beer.” 

Zechs grumbled in agreement. “Make it a big one.” 

**\- End chapter 4 -**


	5. Chapter 5

**Star-crossed Lovers High  
Chapter 5**

_Bite that magic bullet  
Enjoy this crazy ride  
Only you can give me  
A star-crossed lovers high ~ Star-crossed Lovers, My Indigo_

“Women…” Duo muttered before slamming back the remains of his beer. “They’re able to drive you crazy.” 

Zechs sat with his chin resting on his hand and stared into his own glass. His head spun with the buzz the beer provided and left him feeling pleasantly numb. One of the definite pros of living in Belgium was the excellent beer that could get you into a drunken stupor whenever you needed it. And he definitely felt like he needed it.

Anything so he could sleep through the night without thoughts of his ex plaguing him. Damn it. She knew the truth and still blamed him for everything. 

“Ya know…” Duo continued his little monologue, “we should get away, man. Go hiking or something. You need to clear your head.” 

“It’ll be clear the moment she gets back to Leopoldsburg.” Zechs tipped his glass back and finished his beer. He signaled the bartender for another one. “I can hold out a bit longer.”

Duo chuckled. “I won’t be held accountable if you do snap and kill her.”

“Tempting, but no.” He sipped from the new glass the bartender put down in front of him. 

It was just two more months. Eight weeks. He could do that. He wasn’t going to let some flame haired vixen with a bad temper ruin everything. He had been able to work with Noin for months after their relationship went to hell, so he would get through this. 

He took his time finishing his beer, then got off the stool. “I’m going home.” 

“You’re not gonna drive, are you?” Duo questioned.

“Of course not.” Zechs started on his way to the exit of the bar. “See you.” 

The cool evening air was pleasant against his cheeks as he stepped onto the curb to haul over a cab. He would go back and get his car in the morning. Right now, he just wanted to go home and sleep. 

But as the cab drew to a halt in front of his building, he realized he wasn’t going to get sleep anytime soon. Swearing an oath, he got out of the cab and sauntered over to the entrance.

You watched him approach and noticed that he wasn’t entirely steady on his feet. 

“You’re drunk,” you said as he reached you. Even to your own ears it sounded accusing.

Zechs gave you a chagrined look and pulled his keys out of his pocket. It took him only three tries to get the key to fit into the hole. “Go away.” 

“No. I want to know why.” 

“Why what?” he growled as he pushed the door to the lobby open. Your presence was sobering him up more quickly than he liked.

You followed him inside and towards the elevator. You leaned back against the wall of the cubicle as it started on its way up. “I spent the past few hours trying to sort out this mess,” you said. “Why didn’t you tell me about what Montana did?”

Zechs stepped out of the elevator and made his way to his front door. “Go home, -Y/N-.” 

“No.” You answer was sharp. “I won’t leave until you tell me. You owe me an explanation.” 

“I don’t owe you anything.” He managed to get his front door to open.

You were quick to push passed him into the apartment. “Yes, you do.” 

He made a grab for your arm and ended up stumbling. He scowled at you as you turned around and crossed your arms in front of you, giving him an expectant look. 

“Some people don’t like me,” he said.

You rolled your eyes. “Is that all you’ve got to say about it? I’ve been digging, Zechs! He’s an ex-OZzie and he lost his leg during the Eve Wars.” 

“Yeah, and all of that was my fault.” The sarcasm practically dripped from his words. “I got pardoned under the peace treaty, like so many others, and yet the guy holds a grudge.” 

“He tried to extort you.” 

“He tried, yes.” Zechs gave a shrug. “I took care of it.” 

“You didn’t tell me. Even after…” You fell silent as a lump formed in your throat. 

“Like I said, I took care of it.” 

“You still don’t get it,” you said. “I’m a big girl, Merquise. I could have taken it if you told me I made a mistake.”

“You had made up your mind already.” 

“I wouldn’t have if I had known!” you snapped at him. “Jesus, didn’t you trust me?” 

He heaved a sigh and rubbed a hand over his forehead. “I shouldn’t have to justify myself in front of you.” 

“No indeed. If you had told me from the beginning what was going on, it should not be necessary.” 

His glare was icy. “Why? Would you have believed me?” 

“Why?” you snapped, incredulous at his inability to see your point. “Oh, I don’t know, Zechs! Maybe because I loved you?” 

You fell silent, turning away from him in embarrassment at your outburst. 

“Never mind,” you muttered. 

Zechs remained silent and stared at your slumped shoulders. He didn’t know what to say. It felt as if you had yanked his guts out, twisted them into painful knots and stuffed them back in. He was left scrambling for words and none would come to mind.

“I’m going home.”

The words didn’t register until he heard the front door slam shut. He sank down on the couch and buried his face in his hands, no longer knowing how to handle the situation or the rest of the mission.

-x-x-x-

Zechs didn’t show up in the office until noon the next day. With some grim satisfaction you noticed that he was deadly pale and tried to nurse his hangover with painkillers and brutally strong coffee. You didn’t utter a single word as you passed him in the hallway and set course for the gym. 

You were in the midst of pumping some weights when Duo wandered over and gave you a hard look.

“What?” you grunted at him. 

“You should be kinder to Zechs,” he said.

You narrowed your eyes into a glare. “None of your business, Maxwell.” 

“He is my friend and you’re making him miserable, so I’m making it my business.” 

You sighed and set down the weights. “Pity. I was starting to think you were a nice guy.” 

He chuckled humorlessly. “Right.” 

“Mission specs don’t state I have to be nice to him.” You got up and made your way over to the bench press. 

Duo followed you and wordlessly took the position to support you after you had adjusted the weight to your liking. You firmly grabbed the bar and started on a round of reps, focusing on your breathing instead of the conversation. 

“You should try to put yourself in his shoes,” Duo said after a while. “It can’t be easy to be the guy that once conquered Earth.” 

You glared up at him and he was quick to save you when you lost your focus. His hands closed around the bar and he held it up until your grip was steady again. 

“I loved him regardless of that fact and yet that wasn’t enough,” you bit out.

“I can imagine he just considered the company rep to be an inconvenience he could take care of quickly,” Duo said. 

“He still should have told me.” 

“Yeah…” Duo sighed. “Maybe. I can’t fault you for your logic, but you have to understand that this isn’t easy for him either.”

You hung up the bar and sat up. You sighed deeply. “I guess…” 

Your motivation to continue your workout dropped, but Duo urged you over to the treadmill. “Come on, you’re not skipping out.”

You forced yourself to run two miles and then left for the showers to ponder over you conversation with Duo. You were none the wiser by the time you were dressed. Yeah, maybe you had been wrong, but Zechs hadn’t trusted you with the issue of the record company representative. Even if he had taken care of it, in the six months that followed your breakup he hadn’t contacted you even once. 

But now that you knew the truth… 

You sighed and slung your bag over your shoulder, setting course for the elevators. At some point you’d have to talk to the stubborn asshole.

Just not today.

-x-x-x-

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Zechs looked up from the floor plan he had been studying and narrowed his eyes into a glare when he saw that it was you. “Didn’t we have this conversation already?”

You stood leaning against the door jamb; arms crossed in front of you. You wore your hair loose today and the shock of red locks tumbled over your shoulders. The color looked fresh and the side cut sharp. And with a sinking feeling Zechs realized the photoshoot was today. 

“You were drunk,” you said matter of factly. “Maybe now that you’re sober, your answer is different.” 

He snorted. “What gives you that idea?” 

“I don’t know,” you murmured with a sarcastic eye-roll. “Maybe now you can think? With a clear head maybe?”

“The sight of you had me sober in seconds, so my mind was perfectly clear.” 

“Really now?” You narrowed your eyes in a glare. “So, you’re not gonna admit you have trust issues? Which I don’t understand because we were talking about living together.” 

Zechs pinched the bridge of his nose, beyond annoyed with your attitude. “I considered Montana to be of little significance.”

You sighed and stepped inside, closing the door behind you so you had some privacy. “If you had told me from the start, it wouldn’t have turned into this mess.” 

“Wouldn’t it?” he questioned quietly. “No matter from which angle you look at it, I’m the bad guy.”

That puzzled you and you gave him a look that told him to elaborate. But Zechs didn’t feel like explaining himself. And beside that, hadn’t you believed Montana over him?

You crossed your arms over your chest and leaned back against the wall, turning your face sideways so he wouldn’t see the expression in your eyes. “I lost my record deal, my band, and you in one day. You said nothing to contradict me. If you had… I would still have had you.”

He could tell you were trying to keep the hurt out of your voice. “But you choose to believe him.” 

You shook your head. “Never mind. This is going nowhere.”

“No,” he agreed. “It isn’t.”

He saw you turning around to leave and focused his attention back on the floor plan. It didn’t look interesting anymore, but he needed the distraction. Anything to keep his mind from wandering.

By the door you turned around and noticed what he was doing. You moved, walking over to his desk with a curious look on your face. “Is that the festival’s floor plan?”

“Yeah.” He had no idea what to make of your sudden change of subject but was glad for it. “I could use your input on it.” 

“Hmm…” Forcing the previous conversation to the back of your mind, you dropped down in the chair in front of his desk and leaned in, eyes scanning the sheet of paper with interest. “If we take care of the security at the entrance, how do you suppose they smuggle their weapons in?” 

“Same way we smuggle in ours,” Zechs said. “The backstage area has its own entrance, so I think they’ll try to go through there.” 

“I ran checks on all the artists,” you said. “They’re clean.”

“So, we’ll have to look at the roadies.” 

“Or the foodcourt,” you suggested. 

“I’ve got a couple of agents running checks on the food stands,” Zechs said.

“Good,” you murmured. “We’ll have to be on guard in both areas anyway.”

“We’ll have a good view on the food court from the stage and there will be cameras everywhere. We’ll have Heero backstage to monitor the camera footage.” 

“So, we should notice the moment something happens.” You leaned back in your seat with a satisfied nod. “I’ve been reviewing some of the rookies you selected. They’ll be okay out there.” 

“Thanks.” He knew he had been right to choose you. You’d know what to look for in the selected agents. Beside your expertise as a singer, your experience as an instructor came in handy for this mission. 

A small smile came to play over your face, before you reached out, touching the back of his hand for a moment. “I’m sorry.” 

The apology was unexpected, and he gazed at you in surprise. “For what?”

You gave a shrug. “For being a pain in the ass. I’ll make an effort to be good from now on.” 

He resisted the urge to make a sarcastic remark. This was a peace offer and he was going to take it if it meant the mission’s success. “Apology accepted.” 

You took a deep breath. “And I’m sorry about the rest too. Maybe I should have tried harder to get an explanation from you before walking out.” 

He sighed. “Maybe… but maybe I was wrong too.”

He noticed how the look in your eyes changed. The uncertainty disappeared and he realized you had been nervous the whole time. You had masked it pretty well, but he could see through it.

“So, I’m sorry too.” 

“Good. I promise I’ll be out of your hair when the mission is over, ok?” You got up. 

He nodded. 

“Be ready at three for the photoshoot.” 

He pressed his lips together in a thin, displeased line. “Right.”

You laughed. “Don’t look so angry. Susy is good at what she does, and she’ll make you look awesome.” 

“I’m still not happy about this.” 

You grinned at him from the door opening. “Not even now that you’ve admitted my music is good?” 

He found himself unable to glare at you when you looked at him like that. It made his heart stop right in his chest. And it really shouldn’t. You had made no indication that you wanted to renew your relationship with him and neither had he. He didn’t think it was possible to build something good from the remains of it. It would just be a good memory, something he would, in time, look back on fondly. 

“Get lost,” he told you with a smirk.

You chuckled and went back to your own office. And as you sat down at your desk, you realized it wasn’t so bad to work alongside Zechs. And maybe now that you had cleared the air somewhat, it might even become enjoyable.

You dove into the band’s website, checking to see if Heero had added the dates of the two gigs you had managed to land before the festival. Dylan had arranged for the van and had even gone so far as to ask a friend to design some merchandise. If this continued the Preventer’s cover would be tight. And hopefully would be able to stop the attack on the festival in time, without any casualties. 

**\- End chapter 5 -**


	6. Chapter 6

**Star-crossed Lovers High  
Chapter 6**

_We are dancing_  
Where the wildflowers grow  
 _We're lost within a world that's so intense ~ Star-crossed Lovers, My Indigo_

“Our mission commences at 0800 hours tomorrow morning. Team A will be stationed at the festival’s entrance to take care of security matters.” Commander Une stood regally in front of the screen that displayed the mission’s outline in the auditorium of the Leopoldsburg Base. “Team B, C, and D will be spread out over the festival grounds, with Team C remaining close to the food stands.”

You leaned back in your seat, only half listening as Commander Une continued with her final briefing. By now you could practically recreate the outline in a dream as you had been one of the people responsible for its creation. Each team had been given separate briefings during the day, and you had attended all of them.

No, you were too distracted by Zechs sitting beside you to really pay attention to Commander Une. God, what had he been thinking, putting on that cologne? He knew damn well that it made your mouth water. You shifted in your seat, feeling restless and uncomfortable with the lust coiling in your belly. You gaze was drawn to his hands when he leafed through the papers on his clipboard, a line forming between his eyebrows as he frowned at his notes. Big, beautiful hands, long and elegant fingers, and they knew your body so well…

You were being stupid really. Getting all riled up over the way he smelled. Jesus, you shouldn’t. He was you _ex_ and he was going to stay just that.

The past few weeks had been pretty easy, working with him. After the apologies it had become almost pleasant to be his partner for this mission. Oh, you still had a tendency to get under his skin. It was too much fun to see him still get pissed off over the position you had maneuvered him into.

During the photoshoot you had pestered him so much that Duo had walked off, unable to contain himself. You clearly heard him roar with laughter in the next room, much to Zechs’ dismay and your amusement. During the two practice gigs you had turned all attention to him on stage. Doing so was flirting with danger, but you hadn’t been able to stop yourself. His glare had practically burned a hole in your back on both occasions. Tomorrow you’d be on your best behavior, you had promised him with a cheeky grin. The gig at the festival was not about having fun on stage. It was a matter of life and death, so you would have to be alert and try to spot the terrorists before they had a chance to pull out their weapons.

But even so…

He kicked you when he noticed you had zoned out, and you nearly jumped in your seat, turning your head to glare at him. The amused expression on his face made you narrow your eyes into slits.

“Pay attention,” he whispered.

You snorted and turned your attention to your own notes. “If this briefing contains anything new, we haven’t been doing our jobs right.”

He smirked and shook his head, turning his attention back to the commander. You felt a faint smile tugging at your lips.

“You’ll be okay out there,” he murmured.

You nodded and released the breath you had’t noticed you had been holding. “I’m more excited than nervous, actually.”

“Hmm…” He crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back in his seat. “It’s been a while for you.”

“Yeah…” you uttered quietly.

You had given up field work when your relationship with Zechs became serious, not willing to risk accusations of insubordination. After your falling out, you had considered going back into the field, but the idea of working at HQ had made your stomach turn. Leopoldsburg was a good place, and you felt at home at the base. HQ was stifling in comparison.

Zechs shifted in his seat and his shoulder brushed against yours. You stiffened in your seat and had to swallow thickly. You felt your heart rate rise, heat spreading through your veins at the simple, unintentional contact. Jesus, you needed this briefing to end.

Zechs could almost feel the energy pulsating off of you in waves and had to fight the smirk that wanted to form on his face. He had not forgotten the way you had looked at him that time he had stepped out of the fitting room. And although he had no intention of getting back together with you, he enjoyed the thought of having something to use against you. He wasn’t that much of an asshole that he would be blatant about it, but some subtle teasing was a good way to rile you up a little.

The briefing ended and Une dismissed the agents gathered in the room. Zechs got to his feet and noticed how your hands wrapped around the edge of your seat in a white knuckled grip.

“I’ll do a final check on the instrument cases,” he said before walking away.

You breathed a sigh of relief when he left and got up from your seat, intending to make a dash for the barracks so you could sleep off the strange mood. _Just one more day_ , you told yourself. And then you could go to a bar, get drunk and find some stranger to hook up with to take care of the itch.

-x-x-x-

The backstage area seemed to be in goddamn chaos. Performing artists were allowed to remain on the festival grounds all day, so there was a whole gathering of people in the enormous tent that made up the area. Flimsy walls were installed to create dressing rooms, and they could not block out the sounds of footsteps, excited laughter, and other singers warming up their voices.

You tried to find some peace in it all by locking yourself up in your dressing room with your earphones in. Your voice was already warmed up, and you were already in your stage attire. A long sleeved, black turtleneck and black denim shorts over black tights. Black combat boots completed the look. You had chosen the outfit carefully, aware that you should be able to move around comfortably and run in case it was needed. The high heeled boots you usually preferred on stage had remained home.

You casually wound a wavy lock of flame red hair around your finger as you sat listening to your music on the sofa. You focused on your breathing, making sure it was deep and regular. You didn’t notice the door opening and nearly jumped out of your skin when a large hand came to rest on your shoulder.

“What the…” You yanked out the earphones and glared at Zechs. “Don’t scare me like that!”

He smirked down at you. “I knocked and called you.”

“Right…” You rolled your eyes and sagged back against the sofa, trying to get your heartbeat to return to normal. “What are you doing here?”

He walked over to the chair on the opposite side of the dressing room and plopped down. “It’s like an ants’ nest out there.”

“Yeah…” you agreed quietly.

It didn’t take long for Duo to follow Zechs, and he came strolling in casually, his trademark grin in place. Heero was with him.

“Nothing out of the ordinary yet,” Heero said as he walked over to the little cooler in the corner to dig out a bottle of water. “I’ve checked my connection to your in-ear monitors and everything is working.”

“Good.” Zechs nodded in approval.

You got up from your seat and sat down in front of the vanity to do a final make up check. You touched up your lipstick and eyeliner and noticed how Duo was looking at you in the mirror.

“What is it Duo?” you asked him with a grin. “Want some eyeliner too?”

He grinned and walked over, pulling a chair towards him so he could sit next to you. “Why not.”

You selected a kohl pencil and went to work, smudging and blending the lines so they were subtle and made his eyes look dark and moody.

“You’re pretty good at this,” Duo commented as he checked the result in the mirror.

“I used to do my bandmates’ stage makeup,” you said. “Looks good on you.”

“Heh.” He grinned.

You saw that Zechs was eyeing you and Duo and turned around in your seat to give him a sweet smile. “How about you, Handsome?”

He glared at you. “You won’t be taking any of that stuff near my face.”

“Why not?” you asked innocently while batting your eyelashes at him.

The idea that formed made you smile wickedly, and you made a grab for the kohl pencil as you got up. Dread flashed in Zechs’ eyes and he looked ready to bolt from the room. Heero and Duo were watching the scene unfold in amusement.

“I’m serious,” Zechs warned you.

You put your hands on your hips and smirked. “Boys, hold him down.”

Before he could get a chance to get up, Zechs felt hands clamp down on his shoulders and arms. He furiously glared at Duo and Heero.

“Let go of me,” he barked.

“It’s just a little fun,” Duo teased, while barely being able to control his laughter.

“From you I could expect this,” Zechs snapped at his friend before turning his attention to Heero. “But from **you**?!?”

Heero just grinned and tightened his grip on his former arch enemy’s arm, causing Zechs to start struggling wildly. You chuckled and quickly moved in. Not thinking of how close it brought you to him, you straddled his lap and leaned in. You made a grab for his chin and chuckled.

“Come on, Zechs,” you said with a laugh. “It’ll look good on you. I promise.”

His glare was pure malice and he was seething with anger. “Get off of me.”

You purposefully brought the kohl pencil up to his eyes. He tried to turn his face away, but you tightened your grip on his chin and forced him to hold still. Your expression sobered in concentration as you carefully applied the kohl around his eyes in the same manner as you had done on Duo.

“Hold still,” you teased as you capped the pencil and stuck it in your back pocket. “I’m not done yet.”

You used your finger to smudge out the lines, to that the liner was much more subtle. He froze underneath you, and you didn’t notice how Duo gave Heero a telling look. They simultaneously stepped away and retreated from the room. You sat back a little to check your work, your fingers still resting against his cheek. For one split second you met his gaze, saw the desire flash and realized in what position you had maneuvered yourself. The next he yanked you towards him and crashed his mouth against yours. Instantly desire flared, and you buried your hands into his mane of hair to have some sort of anchor as you were swept under.

_To hell with teasing,_ he thought as he used his grip on your own hair to angle your head so he could deepen the kiss. Your taste flooded his senses and the fire in his gut raged in answer. He felt you go limp against him and that only fueled his hunger. It was maddening to discover you still affected him so.

Your breath tore through your lungs as he plundered your mouth, and you were heedless of the consequences. You shimmied closer to him, pressing your breasts against his chest, craving the hard, male strength underneath you. The way he kissed was still mind blurring, leaving you without any sense of place and time. For all you knew you could have been sent into another world. You tore your mouth away from his, dragging air into your lungs and suddenly realized what you were doing. You scrambled up and bolted out of the dressing room.

Zechs remained in his seat and dragged his hand over his lips, where the taste of you still lingered. He wanted to curse himself and yet… He shook his head and got up. He would think about it later, when he was far away from you and his mind clear. He moved over to the mirror and was glad to discover that the eyeliner was not that obvious.

Duo had been right, he mused with a smirk. You were good at this.

He straightened and purposefully walked out of the dressing room. It was show time.

You stood breathing rapidly, trying to regain control of your treacherous body as you leaned back against the van that Dylan had arranged. With a miserable moan you sank to your haunches and buried your hands in your hair.

So much for not getting involved with Zechs again. Jesus, if you hadn’t bolted from the room you sure as hell would have stripped him out of those clothes to have your way with him. And somehow… the consequences didn’t even seem frightening. Oh no, you would have fully embraced them, because kissing him had made you realize how much he could still make you crave him. And that was dangerous.

You sighed deeply and turned your face skyward. You’d regain your bearings and go back as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn’t just kissed you senseless. Your lips still tingled from his onslaught. _Man up,_ you chided yourself. _You’re going to do this job and then head home._

Who were you kidding really, you thought as you straightened and started on your way back. It would be hours until you could go home.

But the hours seemed to pass by in a blur, and before you knew it you found yourself on stage, belting your lungs out to a wildly enthusiastic crowd. You tried to keep an eye out on the festival grounds, but it was hard to keep your focus, so you had to rely on the others to do it for you. Heero was helpful enough, giving status reports between songs or during instrumental parts.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The agents spread out on the festival grounds didn’t see anything strange going on either and that worried you. Had the terrorist faction been targeting this festival at all? Or were they biding their time and waiting for their ideal opportunity? Or worse yet, were they in on Preventer’s plan to stop them?

You moved about on stage, trying to keep the crowd’s attention on you. You were all too aware of the glances that Zechs sent you way. You had been forced to speak to him before going on stage, because you couldn’t waltz into a potentially dangerous situation without acknowledging him. Surprisingly, the easy smile he had given you had put you at ease and he had told you he’d be your eyes out there.

You saw no reason to doubt his word. When it came to situations such as these, you trusted him with your life.

_“Nothing to report.”_

Your gaze met Zechs’ at Heero’s announcement, and you saw how your feeling of restlessness was reflected in his eyes.

Something was not right. Zechs could feel it with every fiber of his being. And yet, nothing happened. It gave him a terrible feeling of unease and dread. He noticed your unease and instinctively knew it was because you had to entertain the crowd and therefore had less eye for what happened on the festival grounds. A look at Duo confirmed that he too thought something was off.

Yet the crowd didn’t seem to notice anything. The music was well received and the applause after each song ended was deafening.

From his place on the platform that held the keyboard and the drum set, he had a good view of the festival grounds and he used his vantage point to look for any suspicious activity. It was near the end of the set list when he noticed something happening at one of the food stands. Two men and a woman jumped over the counter of their stand.

Heero had noticed as well, because the next moment his voice came clear through the in-ear monitors. “Activity at food stands. Team C get a move on!”

You had little time to access the situation properly. Around you, Dylan and Duo dropped their guitars, and the next moment Zechs raced passed you, taking a running leap off the stage as the agents on the grounds swarmed the food stands.

You raised you microphone to your mouth and roared to the crowd. “EVERYBODY, GET DOWN NOW!”

**\- End chapter 6 -**


	7. Chapter 7

**Star-crossed Lovers High  
Chapter 7**

_We go crazy  
Time and time again  
Spinning on a storm that never ends  
This is karma, this is where our worlds collide  
So for better, for worse ~ Star-Crossed Lovers, My Indigo_

Panicked shouts rose from the crowd, but the people obeyed your order and a hushed silence fell over the festival grounds as people crouched down and grouped together in fear. 

“-Y/N-!” 

You turned around at the sound of Duo’s voice and were just in time to catch the rifle that came flying your way. Dylan was next to you as you dropped down behind the speakers and used their cover to position the rifle. Through the scope you tried to spot Zechs. You found him racing towards the food stands, gun in hand as he jumped over groups of people. You aimed the rifle at the direction he was going at and growled. You yanked out your in-ear monitors and pulled the earpiece from your back pocket. The communication line was abuzz, agents shouting orders towards one another. 

“I can’t get a clear shot! You, Dylan?” 

“Negative.”

While Team C had descended upon the food stands, the other teams had rushed in, forming a protective wall around the crowd. And while the stage was built to tower over the crowd, you couldn’t get a clear view of the situation on the other side of the field. 

“Fuck.” You dared a glance behind you and found Duo and Wufei clambering the ladders that led up the platform above the stage. There were already snipers up there and you tapped the button on your earpiece for the direct communication line with them. 

“Team F. Can’t get a clear shot, can you?” 

“Positive.” 

You sighed in relief at the sound of Gina’s voice, and trusted her to take out any terrorist that tried to get past the barrier the agents had formed. In the meantime, Zechs had reached the food stands and was nowhere in sight. Screams rose from the crowd when shouts and gunshots pierced the air. It put Dylan on high alert next to you, and he rose from his prone position into a crouch. 

You scrambled for your microphone, knowing you couldn’t do anything but try to keep the crowd calm. “Everybody try to stay calm! We will protect you, okay? Just stay where you are.”

You focused on the wall of agents, using the rifle scope to see what was going on. If even one of these bastards tried to get through, you’d take him down, you vowed grimly. You waited with a wildly beating heart, adrenaline pumping through your body, ready to take action the moment it was needed. And you were worried, because Zechs had taken off to stop the terrorists without a fucking kevlar vest. 

“Asshole,” you grumbled to yourself. 

_“Situation is secure. We got them.”_

You closed your eyes for a moment and relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief. Next to you Dylan straightened up and lowered his rifle. You checked the situation through your scope and found that the agents were spreading out. For the first time you had a clear view of the food stands and you found teams of agents leading the arrestees away. 

You got up and grabbed your microphone, addressing the crowd again. “The situation is under control and you are all safe.” 

The relief was nearly tangible as people got up and cheered. You put your mic on the stand and left the stage. It was no longer your job to address the crowd, as Commander Une would soon take the stage to give an official statement that would be broadcasted on the news too. 

You went backstage and found Heero still behind the monitors that were installed in one of the dressing rooms. He was keeping a close eye on them to make sure that no panic broke out. 

“Have you got an eye on Zechs?” you asked him.

“He’s fine.” 

You bit your lip and dragged a hand through your hair. 

“Were you worried about him?” Heero asked.

You scowled when you noticed the smirk that played around his lips. “He went off without a kevlar vest! What the fuck was he thinking?” 

Heero gave you an amused look. “Zechs walked into potentially more dangerous situations without kevlar in the past and came out unscathed. From experience I can tell you he is hard to get rid off.” 

“That may be so, but this is different,” you argued.

He raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment any further. You released a frustrated breath and moved around the desk so you could take a look at the monitors yourself. Agents were still busy trying to keep the situation under control. Some groups were swarmed with festival goers who asked countless questions, and other were assisting people who hadn’t been able to stay calm during the ordeal. You didn’t spot Zechs, and for a moment you thought he had gone off with the arrestees to bring them in to HQ. 

That idea sent you reeling into anger, and you quickly tried to tamper it down. It would do you no good if you acted on some wild ideas. You walked out of the room and paced up and down in the backstage area, until Zechs finally appeared. 

But when you saw him, you were left rooted on the spot. His eyes were blazing, and his body practically thrummed with adrenaline. It sent your blood roaring and lust lurching wildly. The world could have spontaneously combusted, but you wouldn’t have noticed. He noticed you too and came walking your way, and his eyes darkened when he saw the way you were looking at him. 

You totally forgot about your anger as you heard him speak but didn’t register the words. All that you could think of was that you wanted him. _Now._

He grabbed your arm and pulled you towards him and you moved with him as he started pulling you in the direction of your dressing room. When you didn’t move fast enough, he yanked you up and into his arms. You wrapped your legs around his waist and tangled your hands in his hair, pulling his head down to yours. 

Neither of you heard the catcalls that Duo made as Zechs kicked the door shut. 

His mouth was on yours, bruising your lips as he struggled to find his way to the sofa. His mind was spinning wildly, any control he had was long gone. You really shouldn’t have looked at him like that. He dragged your shirt up and broke the kiss to pull it over your head.

“Wait, wait, wait!” you panted out, your body arching underneath his despite your protests. “We can’t. Not here.” 

“Well…” He smirked and made a grab for your hair, yanking your head back so he had access to the sensitive skin of your throat. “You’ll just have to be quiet.”

A moan tore from your throat and you desperately yanked his shirt up and kicked off your shoes at the same time. You wanted flesh, the scent and taste of it, the feeling of it burning beneath your fingertips. Consequences be damned.

He pulled your pants down your hips and you struggled with the button and zipper of his jeans. He came to help you, pushing the jeans and his underwear down and then ferociously drove into you. Your breath clogged in your throat at the glory of it, and your gaze locked with his. 

It felt as if his heart had stopped in his chest. And then, after a pause, it leaped and beat again. He whipped you up and had to struggle for some semblance of control as your hips rose to meet him, thrust for greedy thrust. There was a madness to it he hadn’t felt in a long time. Your teeth dug into his shoulder when he felt you go rigid beneath him, muffled cries escaping you as release ripped through your body. 

The explosion shook you to the core, left you scrambling to take him in turn. You pulled him down, pressed your mouth desperately against his, and felt him shudder against you as he fell. 

-x-x-x-

He hadn’t even bothered to undress you properly. Not that he cared much, because the outcome was rather pleasing. You lay with your head resting against his chest, your hair mingling with his over the sofa cushions. He took one flame red lock and wound it around his finger. He could feel your lashes flutter over his skin when you opened your eyes.

“When’s debrief?” you asked quietly.

He shifted and ran his hand down your back, pausing to play with the clasp of your bra. “I don’t know.” 

“Hmm…” 

It sounded like you didn’t care much either. A small smile came to play over his lips. “Come home with me?” 

You lifted your head from his chest so you could look at him. “Sure.” 

You leaned in and kissed him, and his hands came up to cup your cheeks. You were forced to pull away however, when someone banged on the door.

“We leave in twenty minutes.” It was Duo and he sounded way too smug and amused for his own good.

You didn’t feel like moving away, so you lowered your head to his chest again. Zechs’ arm settled around your waist, and you lay in silence for some time. Until you suddenly remembered.

You harshly slapped his arm.

“Hey,” he groused. “What was that for?” 

“You went out there without a kevlar vest, you idiot.” You pinned him with a fierce glare. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

“I had to stop them.” 

“You could have gotten hurt.”

His gaze softened, and he tucked your head under his chin. You had been worried, he realized and that caused a warm feeling to bloom in his chest. 

“You did a great job out there with the way you kept the crowd calm,” he murmured in your hair.

You heaved a sigh at his sudden change of subject, but you also understood. Now was not the time to talk about feelings. “It was the least I could do. I had a shit view so I wouldn’t have been of much use anyway.” 

You wiggled a little under his arm, and he chuckled and let his fingers tickle over your back in a teasing caress that send delightful shivers down your spine. 

“I’m still pissed off,” you told him pointedly. 

“About a great deal of things, I imagine.” 

“Damn right, Merquise.” You moved and sat up, but the smile on your face was warm. “We’ll talk about it later, okay?” 

He couldn’t stop himself from reaching up to bury a hand in your hair. He pulled you down and caught your mouth in an affectionate kiss. “I promise.” 

“Good.”

You slipped out of his arms and got up from the sofa, stretching languidly as you moved through the dressing room in just your underwear. You felt lazy and relaxed, you would have been content if there weren’t still some unresolved issues. You would take care of them later, you told yourself as you pulled a pair of comfortable sweatpants and a tank top from your bag. You freshened up, got dressed and sat down at the vanity to take off your make up.

Zechs hunted up his T-shirt and righted his clothing. He noticed how you were eyeing him in amusement through the mirror. 

“What?” he asked.

You shot him a grin as you turned around and held out a clean make-up wipe to him. “For the eyeliner.” 

“Right…” He took it and wiped off the color still smudged around his eyes. He gave the wipe a disdainful look as he threw it in the trashcan. “Never again.” 

You laughed and reached for your hairbrush. “It looked good on you, though.” 

“Whatever.” He took the brush from you after you were done and used it to tame his own mane of hair. 

You got up and collected your bag, happy that the months of preparation were done and that the mission had been completed successfully. You could return to Leopoldsburg with a feeling of accomplishment. 

“Ready?” Zechs asked.

“Ugh, no.” You groaned as you collected your belongings. “Duo’s going to have a field day over this.” 

“He will not be the only one,” he said dryly.

You paled. “Shit. How many people saw?” 

He chuckled and grabbed your hand. “Too many people. Come on.”

The drive back to Leopoldsburg was spent in awkward silence. Duo was humming along with the radio a little too cheerfully, while you tried to be invisible on the backseat. Consequences be damned had come to bite you in the butt. Zechs sat staring out of the window on the other side, and you couldn’t help but steal glances at his profile every now and then. It was a little hard to do it unnoticed, with Wufei sitting in between you. 

“So -Y/N-,” Dylan said suddenly, almost making you jump in fright. “What are you planning on doing with your music from now on?” 

“I’ve got no plans,” you said. 

“Really?” Duo turned around in his seat. You almost dared to say he looked disappointed. “That’s a waste.” 

You gave him a challenging look. “Are you volunteering to be my new guitarist?” 

He grinned at you. “I would if you asked nicely.” 

You noticed that Dylan was grinning as well. “Not you too.” 

“Your music is good,” Dylan said. “I wouldn’t mind.” 

You sat staring at them with wide eyes, not yet realizing that they were offering to form a band with you. “Shit, really?” 

“What about you, ‘Fei?” 

Wufei shook his head. “I only joined for the mission.” 

You smiled at him. “That’s okay. I figured my music is not really your style.” 

“That’s putting it lightly,” Wufei said dryly. “I’m sure you’ll be able to find someone else.” 

You leaned forward and caught Zechs’ gaze. “Guess you won’t be joining either.”

He snorted. “What the hell do you think? Of course not.” 

“He still thinks he’s got taste,” you whispered loudly to Duo.

“I am sure I have taste,” Zechs deadpanned, at which Duo burst out laughing.

You chuckled and comfortably leaned back in your seat, glad for the distraction the conversation supplied. “So, I guess we’ll have to hold auditions.”

Dylan grinned as he steered the car off the highway. “I’ll ask around.”

“Good.” A smile formed on your face. 

A feeling of excitement settled in your stomach. A band! A purpose. It felt good. Now all you had to do is corner Zechs for a serious conversation. You figured that wouldn’t be as easy as finding a guitarist and a bassist. But you were determined to sink your teeth into him and were not letting go until he had finally opened up and told you everything. And then you would set your teeth into him in a different way.

**\- End chapter 7 -**


	8. Chapter 8

**Star-crossed Lovers High  
Chapter 8**

_Let's bite that magic bullet  
And leave it all behind  
I need to feel the mercy  
Of a star-crossed lovers high  
Bite that magic bullet  
Enjoy this crazy ride  
Only you can give me  
A star-crossed lovers high ~ Star-crossed Lovers, My Indigo_

“I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

You and your bandmates sat at a table, staring at the company representative with mild apprehension. Surely, it couldn’t be anything too serious, you thought. The studio probably wouldn’t be available for some time, or the deadline for your first album couldn’t be met as set in the contract. Something of little consequence.

Tony Montana looked uncomfortable as he let his gaze wander around the table, looking each of you in the eye. When his gaze rested on you longer than on any of your bandmates, you started to feel uncomfortable.

“Unfortunately, the company has decided to terminate your contract with us.” 

You had precisely three seconds to sit in shocked silence before Guido bolted out of his seat. “WHAT?!?”

Josh and you exchanged a dumbfounded look, before you turned your attention to Montana again. He was still looking at you.

“On what grounds?” Josh demanded.

“I hate to say this, but Miss -L/N-‘s boyfriend has tried to blackmail me.” Montana shifted in his seat, clearly not happy about bringing such news. “The company cannot overlook such a situation.”

Wait. What?!? You bolted out of your seat, your heart racing. “That can’t be!” 

“Unfortunately, it is true. I’m so sorry.” 

“No…” you whispered, not really comprehending yet what was happening, and unwilling to accept Montana’s words. “He’d never do that…” 

“I won’t go into detail as to what he demanded, but I can assure you that he tried.” 

Your knees nearly gave out and you staggered back, your breath coming out in a wheeze. “I… I need some air.” 

You bolted from the room, and didn’t stop moving until you were outside, taking deep gulps of air to fight the dizziness that overwhelmed you. This…this couldn’t be, right? Zechs, he wouldn’t…right?

You pressed clammy hands over you face and tried, desperately, to get your breathing under control. You nearly jumped in fright when you suddenly heard Kevin’s voice behind you.

“What the fuck did Zechs do?” 

“I… I don’t know,” you said, and turned around to face your bandmates.

They were glowering at you and you realized why. The band had just lost its record deal because of your boyfriend. Of course, they were pissed off.

“I don’t understand.”

“Well, neither do we. And we have no interest in keeping you as a singer if your boyfriend is such an asshole,” Guido snapped. “Fuck! We lost our deal.”

“I didn’t know about any of this!” you defended yourself. “Jesus! I don’t think Zechs would…” 

“Don’t you?” Josh questioned icily. “Who knows what he’s capable of.” 

But not this… right? The denial was strong, but you also felt the first stirrings of doubt. 

“You’re out.” Guido turned his back on you and walked away.

What? What!?! 

You set after them. “You can’t do this!” 

“Yes, we can!” Josh glared at you. “Get lost, -Y/N-.” 

Shocked by the obvious animosity, you jolted to a halt and stood staring after them. And slowly, terribly slow, the realization began to set in. You had lost your record deal and your band. What the hell had Zechs done?

Anger…unreasonable anger that took hold of you. 

You were on your way to Zechs’ apartment in seconds.

-x-x-x-

You jolted awake, your body drenched in sweat, your lungs burning from your labored breathing. The room you were in was familiar, but not your own. You struggled to calm your raging heartbeat and forced yourself to relax. It took a moment, but you managed to get your breathing to return to normal. You turned your head and found yourself breathless for another reason.

Zechs lay beside you, sprawling on his stomach, one strong arm thrown over your belly. The sheets pooled at his hips, hiding the firm curve of his buttocks from view, while the fading daylight played over his naked back. His hair spilled over the pillows, mingling with yours in a fascinating and familiar way. It made your belly tighten and your heart jump. He looked so beautiful it made your throat ache. You had missed seeing him like this, being next to him. 

Very carefully, so you wouldn’t wake him, you shifted away from him and got out of bed. You grabbed your underwear from the floor and slipped them on, and reached for a blue T-shirt that was hanging over the chair in the corner of the room. It smelled like Zechs, and you found yourself burying your nose in the fabric as you left the bedroom. 

Fresh air sounded heavenly. In the living room you opened the door that led to the balcony and stepped out into the warm evening air. The sun had almost disappeared behind the horizon and the sky was a brilliant shade of pink. The view made you sigh in appreciation and you rested your arms on the banister to take it all in.

Despite the nightmare, you felt calm, collected, and it was exactly what you needed to be. You needed to think. Lord knew you hadn’t been able to before, and the clothes strewn around in the living room were proof of the way your thoughts had been occupied. He had been on you the moment the door had shut behind you. You hadn’t minded actually. You and Zechs had always been more than compatible in bed, and you had enjoyed every second of the experience. 

The urgency of that first encounter in the dressing room had melted away, leaving room to savor, to appreciate. 

It had been the way he had looked at you, with his heart in his eyes.

God, what were you going to do now? You couldn’t just walk away from him again after seeing him like that. You sighed and closed your eyes. Only to open them again when you heard Zechs step outside behind you.

You turned your head to look at him. He had slipped on sweatpants and a hoody, the zipper closed halfway and underneath his chest was still gloriously naked. He was holding two glasses and offered you one. You took it and breathed in the scent of the liquor appreciatively. Bourbon. You hadn’t had any in months.

Zechs watched you for a moment, appreciating the way you looked in his shirt, the fading daylight casting shadows over your form. When he had woken up alone, he had been afraid you had left, but here you were, looking achingly beautiful. The familiar warmth in his chest was hard to deny. 

“What are you doing out here?” he asked while stepping up beside you and hoping you wouldn’t notice the odd shape in his hoody’s pocket right away.

You sipped the drink and gave a casual shrug. “Gathering my wits about me.” 

“Hm.” His lips twitched up into a small smile and he came to lean against the banister in a similar way as you were doing. 

The silence was a little unnerving, because you realized that it was time to face the facts. The expression on his face told you he knew it as well. You wondered if he would open up to you completely this time, at least you hoped that he would. He owed you that.

“I missed this place,” you murmured quietly. “I didn’t realize how much until now.” 

You noticed how he reached into the pocket of his hoody, and your heart stopped right in your chest when you saw him take out a square little box. He opened it and showed you its contents. Your eyes widened in shock and you found yourself reaching for the box, the last light of day making the stones sparkle brilliantly as you examined the ring.

“It was my mother’s,” he said quietly. “I was going to ask you, but then…” 

It made him feel awful to remember. All his hopes smashed to bits in the span of a few minutes. He recalled the look on your face, the anger, but also the hurt. Thinking about it made his stomach clench uncomfortably. 

You could only look at him in stunned silence. “I…I…”

“I never even thought about asking Noin to marry me, but you… I was so damn certain about you,” he said with a wry smile.

You swallowed thickly and managed to find your voice. “I don’t know what to say.” 

“You were right,” he murmured. “I should have told you from the start about Montana’s actions.”

You took a deep breath. “Why didn’t you?” 

He shrugged. “I considered it a small matter, and maybe that was a mistake. He wasn’t the first one to try it, you know.” 

“How many others were there?” 

“A few over the years. I left Mars because of it. Montana was the first to try it since my return to Earth.” He took a sip from his drink, because telling you left a sour taste in his mouth. “Noin… it made her really uncomfortable to be confronted with the weight of the decisions I made during the war and my role in White Fang.” 

His words hung in the air for a little while, but their weight was heavy. Talking about that part of his past never was comfortable. He still stood by the decisions he had made then, because he had truly not seen any other way. He had willingly taken on his role, because the war had needed to end. And the consequences of that decision could still be felt today. While he no longer felt like a man walking with a target on his back, there were still people who thought he had no right to the life he lived now. Tony Montana had been one of them. 

“You didn’t tell me because you thought it would make me uncomfortable?” you asked, when realization dawned. When he looked away from you in guilt, you sighed. “Jesus. That’s really stupid, Zechs.” 

“I know.” He sounded so regretful you wanted to reach out to him. “I’m sorry.” 

“It hurts that you didn’t trust me with your problems,” you said. “It makes me feel insignificant and I don’t deserve that.”

“No,” he agreed. Of course, you hadn’t deserved that. But neither had you deserved what had happened. He felt guilty, because you had lost your band because of him. 

“I’m sorry about the way I broke things off with you,” you said. “I was unreasonable and angry.”

“No, you were hurting.” He turned towards you and rested a hand on your shoulder. 

“That too,” you admitted. “But it’s no excuse for how I acted that day. Or during the preparations for the mission. I never knew I could be such a petty bitch.”

He chuckled. “It was amusing most of the time.”

You raised an eyebrow and gave him a cynical look. “Really?” 

“Hmm…” 

You gazed at the box in your hand again, for the first time lamenting all that you had lost. “I knew what I was getting into when we started dating, you know. I wouldn’t have judged you if you had told me. I want you to know that.”

He reached out and caught a lock of your hair between his fingers. “When I woke up, I thought you had left.” 

Even to his own ears, the words sounded a little desperate. Scared even. He hoped you wouldn’t judge him for it. 

“I wouldn’t do that,” you said quietly. “I couldn’t have either. Not after… Not after seeing the way you looked at me.” 

Hope made his belly flutter. Before he had thought renewing his relationship with you wasn’t possible, but now he found himself wishing for it. Wanting it desperately. His blood roared in his ears as he stepped closer to you, taking your glass and putting it on the side table along with his. He tipped your head up so he could kiss you.

The tenderness made a lump form in your throat, and you found yourself blinking away tears when he drew back. He gave you a small smile and caressed your cheek. 

“Will you give me another chance?” he asked. 

You swallowed thickly, the warmth in your heart exploding. You smiled back at him. “Will it involve this ring?” 

His lips quirked into a smirk, his confidence returning. He pulled you into his arms and pressed his mouth against yours again.

You were breathless and dizzy with need this time when he drew back. “Wow. Okay.” 

Zechs chuckled and reached for the box still clutched between your fingers. He took your hand in his and sank to his knee in front of you. He noticed how your eyes widened, your free hand coming up to press over your mouth.

“Will you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Peacecraft?”

You were stuck between sobbing and giggling hopelessly, as tears cascaded down your cheeks. You swayed on your feet, too overcome to form any words. You could only nod vigorously. The stunning smile he gave you as he rose up made butterflies explode in your belly. You threw your arms around him and hugged him fiercely. 

His arms crushed you against him and he felt your heart was beating as rapidly as his own. He buried his face in your hair. “I love you.”

You sobbed and buried your face in his shoulder. “I love you. I never stopped.”

He smiled and pressed his lips against your temple. “Neither did I.”

You pulled back to look at him and gave him a radiant smile. He took the ring from the box and took your hand, sliding the ring onto your finger. The sight of the stones sparkling against your skin made his heart tighten in his chest. 

You cupped his cheeks and rose up on your toes to kiss him. “You’re stuck with me now.” 

“That’s the idea,” he said with a laugh. 

For the first time in months you felt happy. It was exhilarating after all the negative emotions, the fights and the ugly words. 

He touched a hand to the shaven side of your head. “I kind of wonder how this will look paired with a wedding dress.”

You smirked. “I’ll rock it.” 

He smirked back. “I’m sure you will.” 

He took your hand and pulled you inside the apartment. You grinned when he lifted you up and looped your legs around his waist. A burst of happy laughter escaped you when he carried you back to the bedroom and tumbled onto the bed with you. 

You pressed your face into his shoulder and held on for dear life. 

“Can’t I be Mrs. Merquise?” you asked after a while.

He drew back to look at you, his hair falling around your face like a curtain. His lips were pressed together in a displeased line. “Unfortunately, no. It’s not a legalized name despite me using it. I guess it was Une’s little petty act of revenge to deny my request for help in the matter.” 

You chuckled. “I see. Well… you could still use it as your stage name when you do decide to become my keyboard player.”

He laughed and kissed you. “Hell no.” 

**\- End -**


	9. Artwork

Here is the awesome artwork by [noartificialfruitjuice](https://noartificialfruitjuice.tumblr.com/)!


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